~ Worshiping God, Growing in faith, Serving neighbors near and far

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Pastor’s Page

From the Pastor

I’m sure it is no secret to anyone that Advent is my favorite time of year. From as early as I can remember, the month of December and the celebrations
surrounding Christmas time have always held a
special place in my heart. Of course as a child, much of that anticipation revolved around getting a whole heap of gifts, but there has always been one other thing about this time of year that has been special to me – the Christmas lights. Every year (at least the years that I had been good) my dad would drive me and my brother around for hours looking at how different people had decorated their homes with lights to celebrate the
season. Maybe it was because this was one of the few times my brother and I weren’t fighting in the back seat of the car, but throughout the years it kind of became a tradition for us to drive by all our favorite homes from previous years and then look for new jewels along the way. The one home that I always begged my dad to drive by each year was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Smedley. I had never met them and to this day don’t know why I know that it was their home, but it left an impression on me. This was one of the few homes that invited families to park in their driveway, giving free candy canes to children, but the biggest draw for me and numerous other passersby was certainly the lights. This family must have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars ensuring that their home was as illuminated as possible, and people would drive from miles away just to get a glimpse of the sheer beauty. This week as I have been reflecting on these precious times, I’ve found myself thinking deeply about the lights. People are attracted to light and I’m sure many of you love looking at Christmas lights as well. The Smedley’s understood this very well and they took advantage of that. I wonder if the same would be true for churches? I’m not saying we should decorate the outside of the churches with lights (I’m also not saying we shouldn’t), but I am saying that Jesus is the light of the world and He has commissioned the Church to shine His light bright for all to see. So this Christmas, let us show our communities and neighbors the light of Christ in a bright and vibrant way, by living out the Gospel everywhere and everyday!